Last year, after the Ford Fusion had kicked the bucket in America, Ford showed off its Chinese-market version of the sedan (known there as the Mondeo) with muscular, handsome styling that appeared to be inspired by the Mustang’s pony car lines. To our eyes, it looked absolutely fantastic-certainly much more visually interesting than the final American Fusions. Now Ford (via its Chinese joint-venture partner Changan) has revealed the 2024 Ford Edge L, a very handsome and modern-looking three-row SUV that makes our own two-row Edge look a little outdated.
The Edge L features two EcoBoost powertrains, one an E-Hybrid making 271 horsepower and the other a conventional gas powertrain making do with 248 hp. The crossover uses a transverse engine and offers all-wheel drive. Inside, the smart, modern-looking interior offers second row captain’s chairs and a wide touchscreen display that stretches most of the way into the passenger’s side of the dash.
But it’s the aesthetics that have us floored. The smooth, contemporary integration of the grille and headlights works well, and while the headlamps have a hint of the very popular split lamp look (DRLs above, driving lamps below) they’re actually integrated and look very clean. It’s an evolution of the styling that’s already been previewed by the two-row Chinese Edge Hybrid, and should carry over that vehicle’s louver-look smoked taillights with a similarly smoked heckblende.
The Edge L hasn’t debuted yet, but it might at the upcoming Shanghai auto show. We don’t expect the Edge L to make it to America, but the company would be smart to import some of its design DNA and use it to inform the look of upcoming crossovers.
Author: Alex Kierstein
Source: MotorTrend.com